Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-12
SHOT TO DEATH.
Fred Hopi, Utah Murderer, PAYS the
Penalty for an Atrocious Crime
Committed Several Years Ago.
get fOr Five Expert HiH -men-Aistory
of the Crime and Cony!ction.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, Aug. ll.-Ered
Hopt, alias Welcome, was shot TO desth
in the yard of the penitentiary today,
four miles from the city. TIE firing party
consisted Of tire men with rifles. DE-
Hamilton pinned rOsette ever MS heart,
told him 10 be firm and look straight a.
the guns and death would come quickly.
He would not be mu.iIated, but would if
he finched. The condemned man showed
the utmost trmaess, and said ne iorgave
everybody, but if he had got fair show
on the first trial ne would lot be here TO-
day. He came cut Of his cell smoking g
cigar and kept it in his mouth
TO the last. He posed as for
photograph. He was seated On 8 chair
upon blanket. Ha sst up firm and
straight Marshal Dyer gave the order:
"Resdy, fire." The report Of i've rifles
rang cut as one. The rigid body Of the
dead man retsined its pose, the body fall
ing forward snd the chai- falling bsck-
wards and his limbs resting on the rug IS
when he sat upright. TWO bullets pierced
the small rOsette pinned over his heart,
one little above the other, little below
the center of tae rCsette. Death vas in
Simultaneous Of ore CT the great celebri-
ties in Utah and Wyoming Tor 81 afro
CiOus criminal. The murder was COM
mitted in Park City, Utah, on tae night
Of July ., 1856, the victim being John +
Turner, a son Of JDo W. Turner, sheriff
of Udah couGty. lie hsd started GU. with
two teams to get work ard hired IIcpt
who had been in Jail st Provost county
for drunkenness and horse ealing. He
engaged Hopt to help drive the team.
They camped together snd We're Ioined
later by Jack Emerson. The deed was
committed ab0ut 10 o. m, with an axe
Next day Hopt and Emerson started win
the teams! trading of the gram in the
WAGONS for WHISKY with the dead body in
the bottom. That night H0pt covered
the body with rocks end brush and tried
to burL it. The teams were turned east
ward, one uss sold a. Piedmont and the
other at Green river. Hopt took the
money end had gay time with whisky
and women ct Cheyenne untl Sheriff
Turner, tie father OF the murdered man
caught up with him ard
identified him. In the mean
time the body had been found.
On the way from Cheyenne, at Green
river and at Echo, attempts were made to
lynch H0pt, but he was protected by
Sheriff Turner, who mad Hopt in custody.
On the first trial, February 1G, 1881, he
was convicted, but the United States
Supreme court ordered 8 new trial, be-
cause the judges instructions We're not
sduced TO writing, as required by Law
The second convection, March 30, 1850,
was reversed on account of the Judges
errors. The trird tri2l, September -,
resulted in another conviction, another
appeal and the United States Supreme
court egain reversed and ordered q new
trial, because the record did not contain
the charge of the Judge. Pending this
appeal the judges refused to grant q stay
of execution, and HOpt was about to be
shot to death ia spite Of his
appeal when Acting Governor ThayeI
granted respite. The fourth
trial held before Judge Cane September
81 to Is, 1885, resulted in a conviction.
1t was appealed az before, ard the judg-
ment affirmed. The remitter reached
the Third District court here June u,
1887, and on June - the court reset
the time Tor the execution to August l.
Hopt having been given his Choice be-
tween hanging and shooting, chose 20 be
shot to death, and this final scene came
n Fl today